Floor standing treatment device

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a floor standing treatment device that has a front panel and a mainframe assembly adapted to be removably attachable to the front panel. The mainframe assembly has an integrally molded latching mechanism having a latch and one or more L shaped guides configured to cooperate with one or more pairs stops for limiting lateral movement of the latch. The latch is adapted to engage a portion of the front panel for securely attaching the front panel to the mainframe assembly. The air purifier may also have a cavity positioned along a bottom edge of a back housing to house an electrical cord provided with the air purifier. Additionally, the air purifier may also have an elongated slot positioned at the apex of the mainframe assembly for allowing one or two handed carrying of the air purifier.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 10/393,122, filedMar. 20, 2003 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,911,060.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to floor standing treatment devices suchas air purifiers, dehumidifiers, air conditioners or floor heaters, andmore particularly to an air purifier having a latching mechanism, cordstorage area, carrying handle and improved motor mount assembly.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Portable and/or floor standing treatment devices including airpurifiers, air conditioners, dehumidifiers, and heaters provide benefitsin the home and workplace and are increasing in popularity amongconsumers desiring to live and work in cleaner and healthierenvironments. Typically these devices contain mechanical components suchas heating elements, motors and fans which should not be readilyaccessible. Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide the floorstanding treatment device with a latching mechanism that preventedaccess to such components. Additionally, it would be advantageous if thelatching mechanism was designed for long-lasting use and prevented fromprematurely failing or breaking.

Due to the increased popularity of floor standing treatment devices,many users may desire to selectively use a particular treatment devicein the home or at the office, without having to purchase two separateproducts. Additionally, the same floor standing treatment device may bedesired for use in one or more different locations around the home.Unfortunately, most floor standing treatment devices, specifically airpurifiers are cumbersomely large and lack handles, which prevents easyportability of the device. Accordingly, it would be advantageous toprovide an air purifier with a one or two handed carrying handle forproviding easy portability of the purifier.

Lastly, since it is not necessary to precisely locate a floor standingtreatment device within a room, most users typically situate thesedevices on the floor and closely adjacent an unused portion of a wall inthe office or home. However, since these devices typically have a cordand grommet that protrudes from the back, these devices are preventedfrom resting close to any wall. Additionally, since most of thesedevices have several feet of electrical cord attached, it is sometimesdifficult to position the device so as to eliminate the “tripping”danger associated with having a loose cord. Accordingly, it would beadvantageous to provide a floor standing treatment device adapted to beplaced closely adjacent an interior room wall and one that provided astorage space for unused electrical cord.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One embodiment of the present invention is a floor standing treatmentdevice that comprises a front panel and a mainframe assembly that isadapted to be removably attachable to the front panel. The mainframeassembly comprises an integrally molded latching mechanism that has alatch and one or more L shaped guides configured to cooperate with oneor more pairs stops for limiting lateral movement of the latch. Thelatch is adapted to engage a portion of the front panel for securelyattaching the front panel to the mainframe assembly.

Another embodiment of the invention is a floor standing treatment devicethat comprises a front panel, a back housing, and a mainframe assemblyconfigured to be removably attachable to both the front panel and theback housing. The back housing further comprises a cavity positionedalong a bottom edge of the back housing. The cavity is configured tohouse at least a portion of an electrical cord provided with the floorstanding treatment device.

Yet another embodiment of the invention is a floor standing treatmentdevice that comprises a front panel, a back housing, and a mainframeassembly. The mainframe assembly comprises a handle positioned towardthe apex of the mainframe assembly and is adapted to allow one or twohanded gripping of the device.

Another embodiment of the invention is a floor standing treatment devicethat comprises a mainframe assembly having a motor mount. The motormount has a first side and a second side. The first side of the motormount comprises one or more structural support ribs extending betweenthe mount and the mainframe assembly and has a two substantiallyparallel outer support fins. The second side of the motor mount furthercomprising two substantially parallel outer support fins which form asubstantially circular air intake frame.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, incorporated in and forming part of thespecification, illustrate several aspects of the present invention andtogether with their description serve to explain the principles of theinvention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a floor standing treatment device,specifically an air purifier, in accordance with an exemplary embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a blown-up view of the latching mechanism as shown inFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 a illustrates a cross-sectional view of an exemplary louverdesign and a fluid dynamic simulation of air flow through the louverdesign;

FIG. 3 b illustrates a cross-sectional view of a prior art louver designand a fluid dynamic simulation of air flow through the louver design;

FIG. 4 depicts a rear perspective view of the back housing and mainframeassembly of the floor standing treatment device in accordance with thepresent invention;

FIG. 5 a depicts a front perspective view of a motor mount assembly inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 b depicts a rear perspective view of the motor mount assembly inFIG. 5 a;

FIG. 6 illustrates the exemplary internal/mechanical components of thefloor standing treatment device as shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 a illustrates a diagrammatic view of a the floor standingtreatment device; and

FIG. 7 b illustrates an exemplary diagrammatic view of a the floorstanding treatment device in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein like numerals indicatethe same elements throughout the views, FIG. 1 illustrates a perspectiveview of an exemplary embodiment of a floor standing treatment device 1,particularly an air purifier, in accordance with the present invention.The exemplary floor standing treatment device 1 comprises a mainframeassembly 2, a front panel 3 and a back housing 36. The back housing 36is removably attachable to the mainframe assembly 2 for providing easyaccess the fan 30 (as best illustrated in FIG. 6) of the air purifierfor allowing a user to easily change/clean the fan. As one of skill inthe art will recognize, the back housing 36 may be removably attachableto the mainframe assembly 2 in any variety of known ways, and suchassembly is easily adaptable to any variety of floor standing treatmentdevice.

The front panel is also removably attachable to the mainframe assembly2. The front panel 3 may also be attachable to the mainframe assembly 2in any variety of known ways, but in the exemplary embodiment, the frontpanel 3 “snap” engages a latching mechanism 4 attached to the mainframeassembly 2 as generally illustrated in FIG. 1. As one of skill in theart should appreciate, the latching mechanism 4 may be integrally orseparately attached to the mainframe assembly 2 and may be positioned atvirtually any position on the mainframe assembly 2 for allowing secureattachment of the mainframe assembly 2 to the front panel 3.Alternatively, it should also be recognized that the latch assembly maybe positioned on the front panel 3 for “snap” engagement with themainframe assembly 2.

The exemplary embodiment of FIG. 2 illustrates a blown-up view of thelatching mechanism 4 as shown in FIG. 1. The latching mechanism 4comprises a latch 5 having an arched protuberance 6, guides 7, externalstops 8 and internal stops 9. In the exemplary embodiment, the latchingmechanism 4 is integrally connected or molded to the mainframe assembly2. The latching mechanism 4 is also contemplated to be made from aplastic or other suitable material which has elastic properties forallowing lateral or side-to-side movement of the latch 5. For example,in the at rest position as illustrated in FIG. 2, the latch 5 is capableof being moved laterally or side-to-side with a manual force “F” exertedon the latch 5. In the absence of such a force, the materialcharacteristics of the latch should allow the latch 5 to return or restin the at rest position.

In the event the material chosen does not provide for easy lateral orside-to-side movement, the latch may be further provided with anindentation 10, which provides for improved movability or flexibility ofthe latch 5. The indentation 10 is contemplated to be a predefined areaof the latch that has less thickness than the surrounding area. Forexample, in the embodiment of FIG. 2, the indentation 10 is the notchthat extends the width of the latch 5. The lesser thickness of theindentation 10 area allows the latch to be more flexible and movablewith respect to the stationary surrounding mainframe assembly 2.

The latch 5 of the latching mechanism 4 is contemplated to be anintegral or molded extension of the mainframe assembly 2. Asillustrated, the latch 5 comprises a pair of “L-shaped” guides 7 thatextend from the top and bottom of the latch 5. The L-shaped guides 7extend inward and upward/downward with respect to the latch and areprovided to prevent over extension of the latch, which may cause thelatch to break or snap from the latching mechanism 4. A pair of externalstops 8 and internal stops 9 are also integral or molded extensions ofthe mainframe assembly 2. The external stops 8 are positioned externallyadjacent the guides 7 and are positioned to prevent over-extension ofthe latch in an outward direction. Similarly, the internal stops 9 arepositioned internally adjacent the guides 7 and are positioned toprevent over-extension of the latch in an inward direction. In otherwords, the stops (8, 9) are configured to prevent the latch 5 from beingoverly extended in any side-to-side or lateral direction. For example,if the latch 5 is manually pushed in by a user (force “F” in FIG. 1),the guides 7 of the latch 5 abut the internal stops 9 thereby preventingfurther lateral movement of the latch 5. Conversely, if the latch 5 ismanually pulled out by a user, the guides 7 of the latch 5 abut theexternal stops 8 thereby preventing further lateral movement of thelatch 5. In this way, the latch is prevented from being over-extended,which may cause failure of the latch 5.

In the exemplary embodiment as illustrated in FIG. 2, the latch 5 isalso provided with an arched protuberance 6, which is contemplated to bean arch that extends outward from the latch 5. The arch is configured toextend a predetermined distance out from the latch 5 such that theprotuberance 6 can “snap” engage a corresponding slot 11 positioned onthe front panel 3 of the mainframe assembly 2. The snap engagement ofthe arched protuberance 6 in the corresponding slot 11 allows the frontpanel 3 to be securely attached to the mainframe assembly 2.

In operation, to place or remove the panel 3 from the mainframeassembly, a user is required to manually push on the latch 5 (force “F”)causing the latch to laterally move to a position wherein theprotuberance 6 no longer protrudes beyond the external stoppers 8, whichallows for insertion/removal of the front panel 3 from the mainframeassembly 2. In this way, the front panel 3 can be easily removed andreplaced from the mainframe assembly 2 as desired by the user.

FIG. 3 a depicts an exemplary fluid dynamic simulation of an embodimentof a louver design 50 associated with the front panel 3 of the floorstanding treatment device. The exemplary louvers 51 are configured insuch a way that an average height person standing approximately 6 feetaway from the device cannot see through the louvers 51 when the productis on the floor under normal lighting conditions. Additionally, asillustrated in FIG. 3 a, the louvers 51 are optimized to allow forincreased air flow through the louvers 51 than as seen in the louvers 51b of the prior art as shown in FIG. 3 b. In particular, the louvers 51of the present invention allow for more air to pass through the louverswith less pressure drop and less turbulence than the louvers 51 b in theprior art. Put another way, more air can be taken in through the louversat the same velocity than the prior art, or the same amount of air canbe taken in as in the prior art design but at a lower overall velocity.In this way, the floor standing treatment device 1, should be quieterthan devices of the prior art because more air can be taken in throughthe louvers 51.

In the exemplary embodiment, the louvers 51 have a generally “boot”shaped appearance, with the “bottom” 52 of the boot facing into thedirection of air flow. The bottom of the boot has a substantially flat,vertical surface 52 with inclined surfaces 53 on each side providingsome improved aerodynamic performance. The “toe” of the boot isgenerally formed by one of the inclined surfaces 53 in combination withan upwardly arched portion 54 that follows to the “top” of the boot. The“top” of the boot is a substantially flat, vertical surface 55 thatfaces away from the direction of the air flow. Lastly, an angled topsurface 56 defines the top of the surface of the louver 51 and “backside” portion of the boot.

FIG. 4 depicts a rear perspective view of the back housing 36 andmainframe assembly 2 of the floor standing treatment device inaccordance with the present invention. The back housing 36 has a backwall 25, two side walls 27, a top surface 28 and a bottom surface 29. Aswill be described in more detail below, the back housing 36 houses someof the mechanical components of the floor standing treatment device 1including the fan 30.

As further illustrated in FIG. 4, the mainframe assembly 2 comprises ahandle 22 for carrying the floor standing treatment device 1. Since thetypical floor standing treatment device, specifically the air purifieris cumbersomely large, a handle 22 may be provided to allow the purifierto be easily moved from one location to another. In the exemplaryembodiment, the handle 22 comprises an elongated, curved opening 23 forproviding a one or two handed gripping of the air purifier. While thehandle 22 could have virtually any shaped opening 23, in thisembodiment, the handle has a substantially flat bottom and a curved orarched opening for gripping and moving the air purifier 1. Additionally,it is noted that for convenience the handle is located toward the apexof the mainframe assembly 2.

While the opening 23 of the handle may be designed to be a through-hole,in the exemplary embodiment, the handle has an interior wall 24 whichprevents a user from putting his/her fingers through the opening 23. Oneof the purposes of such a design is to provide a more compact designwhich provides a more aesthetically pleasing front panel. In particular,such a design allows the handle to be built in the floor standingtreatment device without it being visible from a front elevational view.

As further illustrated in FIG. 4, the back housing 36 further comprisesan elongated cavity 12 positioned along the bottom surface 29 of thehousing 36. The cavity 12 is configured to house the electrical cord 13,or at least a portion of the electrical cord 13, that provideselectrical power to the free standing treatment device. While the cavity12 could be of virtually any shape or size, in the exemplary embodiment,the cavity 12 is roughly rectangular and of sufficient volume to allowthe entire electrical cord 13 to be stored therein. Such a design allowsthe electrical cord 13 to be stored when the floor standing treatmentdevice 1 is not in use such as being carried from one location toanother. Additionally, this design allows the unused portion of the cord13 to be stored when the product is in use, which minimizes anypotential hazards associated with a loose cord (i.e. tripping, etc.) andprovides for a neater and cleaner appearance.

Referring briefly to FIG. 6, the electrical cord 13 is securely attachedto the floor standing treatment device 1 via a cord grommet 19. The cordgrommet 19 interfaces with an internal surface 20 of the mainframeassembly 2 to securely attach the electrical cord to the treatmentdevice 1. As one of skill in the should recognize, with the back housingattached to the mainframe assembly, the cord grommet 19 will appear toextend from the ceiling 38 of the cavity 12. However, the grommet 19could also be adapted to extend from the side walls 21 or the back wallof the cavity.

The design of the grommet 19 being positioned within the elongatedcavity 12 allows the free standing treatment device 1 to be placedclosely adjacent any wall relative to an electrical outlet (not shown)without interference from a protruding grommet as is typical in thestate of the art. For example, typical floor standing treatment devicesthat rely on use of an electrical power cord have a grommet thatprotrudes from the exterior of the device. Since grommets are typicallystiff and inflexible, any device having such a grommet needs to bepulled out from the wall and cannot be positioned closely adjacent tothe wall to allow for clearance of the grommet. Accordingly, the presentdesign eliminates the need for such clearance because the grommet 19 ishoused within a cavity 12 associated with the floor standing treatmentdevice 1.

Referring back to FIG. 4, the floor standing treatment device 1 of thepresent invention may further comprise a recessed portion 14 whichfurther improves the device's adaptability to be placed closely adjacenta wall. In this embodiment, a portion of the bottom of the back housing36 is curved inward to accommodate for base boards associated with atypical wall. As one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize, theinward curvature of the back housing allows the device 1 to be fit more“snugly” against an interior wall of a home. Accordingly, thecombination of the recessed portion 14 of the device and the grommet 19being positioned within the cavity 12, allows the floor standingtreatment device to rest flush with most walls in a home.

FIG. 5 a illustrates the floor standing treatment device 1 with thefront panel 3 removed from the mainframe assembly 2. The mainframeassembly 2 comprises a motor mount assembly 40 that as one of skill inthe art will appreciate, was designed with enough structural integrityfor the motor and fan to withstand rigorous shipping and handlingsituations. The motor mount assembly 40 comprises a mount 41 having,preferably, four spaced support ribs 42. The support ribs 42 eachcomprise two substantially parallel support fins 43 a which extendbetween the mount 41 and the mainframe assembly 2 and provide thestructural integrity for the assembly 40. While the present embodimentillustrates four ribs, it should be recognized that more or less ribscould be used.

Not only do the ribs 42 and accompanying fins 43 a provide structuralsupport for the mount 41, but the fins have the dual purpose ofproviding a “guide” for wiring 44 from the motor 45 to the usercontrols. In this way, the wiring 44 is “neatly” tucked in between theparallel support fins and does not further obstruct airflow.

FIG. 5 b illustrates the opposite side of the motor mount assembly 40(i.e. the side facing the back housing 36). This illustration shows themotor mount assembly 40 further comprising a three substantiallyparallel support fins 43 b. Two outer support fins 43 b of each rib 42extend from the mount 41 to the mainframe assembly 2 and form asubstantially circular air intake orifice 47. As one of skill in the artshould recognize, the air intake orifice 47 is configured to allow airto be pulled through the fan for purification. The third support fin 43b is positioned between the two outer support fins 43 b and extendsbetween the mount 41 and onto a portion of the mainframe assembly 2. Thethird support fin 43 b is configured to distribute stresses on the mount41 to the mainframe assembly 2 thereby providing enhanced structuralrigidity to the motor mount assembly 40.

The motor mount assembly 40 may also comprise a plurality of selfaligning dowels 46 positioned around the circumference of the mount 41.The dowels 46 are configured to align with corresponding apertures onthe motor 45 for providing quick and appropriate alignment of the motor45 within the mount 41. A plurality of speed clips or Tinnerman® clipsmight be used to hold the motor in place once it has been inserted onthe dowels 46. Speed clips allow “blind” fastening of screws to securethe motor 45. One of the advantages of using such clips is that nosecuring or holding of a nut is required, thus, a tool to hold the nutis also not required.

FIG. 6 illustrates the internal/mechanical components of the floorstanding treatment device, specifically the components of an airpurifier 1 including a fan 30 and scroll 31. The fan 30, scroll 31 andother mechanical components of the purifier 1 are generally housed inthe mainframe assembly 2 and back housing 36. The fan 30 is mounted to adrive shaft 32 of a motor 45 and generally rotates clockwise about thehorizontal drive shaft 32 axis. Additionally, as one of skill in the artshould recognize, the fan 30 may also include a plurality of radiallyspaced blades 33 to help push air through the purifier.

FIGS. 7 a and 7 b diagrammatically illustrate the floor standingtreatment device. As shown in this illustration, the scroll 31 mounts tothe mainframe assembly 2 and surrounds a portion of the fan 30. In anexemplary embodiment, the scroll 31 is manufactured from expandedpolystyrene, or Styrofoam®. The fan's 30 physical relationship to thescroll 31 defines an air opening 34 through which air enters an airpassageway 35 and is exhausted through an air outlet 37. As one of skillin the art will appreciate, the size of the air outlet 37 andcorresponding expansion angle contributes to the noise level of thepurifier while in operation. The expansion angle α=arctan [1/π(AB/D−1)]where D is the diameter of the fan 30 and AB is indicated by the line ABin FIG. 7 a. Typically, the larger the air outlet and expansion angle,the quieter the floor standing treatment device is in operation.Accordingly, the challenge presented in creating a quieter floorstanding treatment device, without increasing its size, is maximizingthe size of the air outlet 37 and the corresponding expansion angle.

FIG. 7 a illustrates a typical floor standing treatment device where therectangular dashed-line 49 represents a predetermined structural outerframe for any given device such as a floor standing treatment device,and line 31 s is representative of the scroll 31. In this embodiment,the air passing through air passageway 35, which is exhausted through anair outlet 37, is abruptly altered by side wall 27 of the floor standingtreatment device. At the point “B” where the scroll intersects the sidewall 27, turbulence is created in the air flow, which results in a dropin pressure and therefor high noise.

FIG. 7 b illustrates one exemplary solution to increasing the size ofthe air outlet 37 and the corresponding expansion angle whilemaintaining the approximate size of the floor standing treatment device1. In this embodiment, the scroll 31 is rotated about the drive shaft 32axis from about 5 degrees to about 6 degrees as indicated by R₁ and theside wall of the floor standing treatment device is slightly arched tomatch the angle of the scroll 31. The result of the rotation means thatthe vertical side wall 27 of the mainframe assembly 2 acts as anextension of the scroll 31, which minimizes the turbulence generated byscroll 31 intersecting with sidewall 27. Accordingly, the rotated scroll31 and corresponding curved sidewall 27 results in less turbulence andless noise than the scroll positioning illustrates in FIG. 7 a. Putanother way, the resulting rotation of the scroll increases both the airoutlet and diffusion angle associated with the device, which reduces thenoise generated by the floor standing treatment device. Thus, the sizeof the floor standing treatment device is maintained while the soundproduced by the device is lessened.

The foregoing detailed description of the invention has been presentedfor purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to beexhaustive nor limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Manyalternatives, modifications and variations have been discussed above,and others will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of theabove teaching. Accordingly, this invention is intended to embrace allsuch alternatives and variations as discussed without departing from thescope of the invention.

1. A floor standing treatment device comprising: a mainframe assemblycomprising a motor mount, the motor mount having a first side and asecond side, the first side comprising one or more structural supportribs extending between the mount and the mainframe assembly and eachsupport rib having at least two substantially parallel outer supportfins, the second side further comprising two substantially parallelouter support fins which form a substantially circular air intake frame.2. The floor standing treatment device of claim 1, wherein the secondside of the motor mount assembly further comprises a third support finpositioned between the two substantially parallel support fins andconfigured to distribute stresses from the mount to the mainframeassembly.
 3. The floor standing treatment device of claim 1, wherein thefirst side of the motor mount assembly further comprises four equallyspaced support ribs.
 4. A floor standing treatment device comprising: amainframe assembly comprising a motor mount, the motor mount having afirst side and a second side, the first side comprising one or morestructural support ribs extending between the mount and the mainframeassembly and having a two substantially parallel outer support fins, thesecond side further comprising two substantially parallel outer supportfins which form a substantially circular air intake frame, whereinwiring from a motor positioned within the motor mount is configured tobe directed between the two fins for minimizing airflow obstruction.